Board Overturns Decision and Berlin High Class of 2017 Will Graduate at CCSU

The Berlin High School class of 2017 will graduate on a Sunday in the Welte Auditorium in Herbert D. Welte Hall on the Central Connecticut State University campus.

The Berlin Board of Education voted unanimously Monday night to overturn their previous decision that would have moved graduation from a Sunday afternoon at Welte Auditorium to a weekday night at the high school. 

“We are in the last couple of weeks of finishing a remodel of our high school,” Berlin Board of Education President Tim Oakes said. “We as a board were excited to be able to show off our high school to the community and our graduating class and we thought, at the time, it was a wonderful idea.” 

Many parents do not agree and feel the high school would pose too many problems and a Welte ceremony is what their children deserve. 

“Our children have planned on graduating there since they have been in kindergarten,” David Kall said. “They watched the classes come through and to have the rug pulled out on them halfway through the school year, I didn't think it was right.” 

At Monday’s meeting, parents brought up the issue of parking and comfort and expressed concerns over elderly guests sitting in bleachers and the fear many wouldn’t be able to make it on a weeknight. 

“These logistical problems are still going to be there and there is no way around it,” Susan Bordonaro said. 

Bordonaro also had concerns a weekday would threaten the planning of the school’s all-night graduation after party that she said keeps student’s safe. 

“We probably would have a very difficult time securing a party date,” Bordonaro said. 

Oakes said the board might have made the decision to move graduation to the high school too early. 

“We probably, in retrospect, got a little bit ahead of ourselves thinking that everyone would share our excitement,” he said. 

The board plans on creating a committee to discuss the location, day and time of graduations moving forward.

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